MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL
REPORT FOR RESOLUTION
COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE
DATE 21 NOVEMBER 2007
SUBJECT LOCAL NATURE RESERVE DECLARATION: BOGGART HOLE CLOUGH AND HIGHFIELD COUNTRY PARK
REPORT OF HEAD OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES HEAD OF LEISURE AND SPORTS
PURPOSE OF REPORT
To seek the approval of the Executive Committee to declare two sites in Manchester, Boggart Hole Clough and Highfield Country Park, as Local Nature Reserves.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. To declare the area shown outlined on the “Location map of Boggart Hole Clough” (Appendix 1) as the Boggart Hole Clough Local Nature Reserve. 2. To declare the area shown outlined on the “Location map of Highfield Country Park” (Appendix 2) as the Highfield Country Park Local Nature Reserve.
Financial Consequences for the Revenue Budget
The proposal has no implications for the City Council’s revenue budget.
Financial Consequences for the Capital Budget
The proposal has no implications for the City Council’s capital budget.
Contact Officers Rachel Christie – Head of Environmental Services 800 4916 [email protected] Eamonn O’Rourke – Head of Leisure and Sports 878 2451 e.o’[email protected] Sarah Davies – Green City Project Director 800 3361 [email protected] Jon Follows – Green City Project Officer 800 1869 [email protected] Background Documents
The Boggart Hole Clough and Highfield Country Park Management Plans are available from Room 6019 in the Town Hall Extension.
Wards Affected
Charlestown Levenshulme
Implications for:
Anti poverty Equal Opportunities Environment Employment No No Yes No 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 On the 13th April 2005, the Executive Committee approved and adopted the Manchester Biodiversity Strategy. Objective 2 within the strategy states that actions should ‘use a best practice approach when managing for biodiversity’. One of the key ways to achieving this objective is to increase the number of Local Nature Reserves in Manchester. The strategy proposes that further sites will be designated as Local Nature Reserves over the next five years.
1.2 There are currently four Local Nature Reserves in Manchester – Chorlton Water Park, Blackley Forest, Clayton Vale and Chorlton Ees & Ivy Green. All the sites have benefited from the designation and had lead to increased public usage by local and regional visitors. These sites have also obtained national recognitions with Natural England and other nature conservation organisations.
2 WHAT ARE LOCAL NATURE RESERVES?
2.1 Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are sites that contain wildlife and/or geological features that are of special interest locally. Their function is to provide opportunities for people to become involved in the management of their local environment as well as giving people special opportunities to study, learn or simply enjoy nature.
2.2 Declaring sites as LNRs plays an important role in biodiversity conservation. LNRs will offer many benefits not only to wildlife but also to the quality of life for the people of Manchester. The benefits of LNRs can be summarised as: -